Schenker, Roth & West Announce 3 Guitar Heroes Tour

Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth and Leslie West have announced that they are combining their collective powers and hitting the road together under the moniker 3 Guitar Heroes. Manager Bob Ringe was the mastermind behind the union, and there are some very special surprises up their collective sleeves for this excursion. Following sets by each of these legends, the evening will climax with a jam of all 3 Heroes on stage together, with special guests earmarked to join them in most markets.

Michael Schenker is a German rock legend. He was a founding member of the Scorpions, and the lead guitarist for UFO prior to launching a highly successful solo career. He is a historical figure in the history of metal guitar, and was honored on November 10, 2010 in London with the Marshall “11” award, a tribute to those who represent rock ‘n’ excess and livin’ on the edge. Schenker is one of the most notorious figures in rock, and enters 2011 with health, an eye for the future, and a legend that precedes him. Schenker will release Temple of Rock this Fall via Inakustik Records. The 14-track album features an all star band accompanying the guitarist and an introduction spoken by Willian Shatner. Alongside the core band of Schenker, Michael Voss (vocals), Herman Rarebell (drums), Pete Way (Bass), and Wayne Findley (Keyboards), more than a dozen special guests make appearances.

Roth is best known for his tenure in the Scorpions, which began following his merger of Dawn Road with Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine. As lead guitarist, main songwriter and occasional lead singer for the band, they released four studio albums between 1974 and 1977, and one live album shortly thereafter which were released shortly after his departure. He formed Electric Sun, a band that was synonymous with strong messages and meaning, as witnessed in the dedication of albums to King Jr, Sadat and others. He went on to perform with symphony orchestras throughout Europe and in the late’90s performed alongside Joe Satriani and Michael Schenker on a G3 European tour. This decade, Roth has made multiple news making appearances both with the Scorpions and the Smashing Pumpkins. Most recently, he released Under A Dark Sky on SPV. Roth has a unique style, and performs with an arsenal of custom guitars made by master luthier Andreas Demetriou. These “Sky” guitars can emulate the high notes of a violin, some of which contain extra frets.

Leslie West is focused on the future and the September 20th release of his upcoming album Unusual Suspects (Provogue), featuring an assemblage of superstars in their own right that includes Slash, ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons, Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather, and Joe Bonamassa, alongside drummer Kenny Aronoff . From the Sixties through today, he has been revered by artists and fans alike. He has been in command of one of the biggest, boldest electric guitar tones known to humankind from the 1969 Woodstock Festival that placed his band Mountain in to historical lore through today. His voice is even more recognizable, and the powerful mix of honey and gravel that falls somewhere between Otis Redding and King Kong, never sounded better than it does on the upcoming album. From The Vagrants, through Mountain, and his stops along the way with West, Bruce, Laing and multiple highpoints in a long solo career, West has simply always brought it.

On the plans for this excursion Leslie West shared, “I am honored to be a part of the 3 Guitar Heroes Tour with Uli Roth and Michael Schenker. My manager Bob and I have been discussing a run like this for ages, and when the opportunity came up I hopped on board. That’s right – the guy who just had his leg amputated. These guys are monster players and this should be a lot of fun.” Michael Schenker offers, “It is very exciting to be part of a tour that has very deeply rooted connections with two guitarists that have been at their best since the start of their careers. When I was around 14 years-old, I saw a guy on stage playing amazing guitar. It was Uli, and he was around my age. Three years later while with the Scorpions, I chose to join UFO and found the best possible replacement in Uli. I knew my brother Rudolf and Klaus were in good hands. When I was 16 years old, Leslie West was one of my favorite guitarists. He had just recorded “Theme for an Imaginary Western” with Mountain, a song featuring one of my all time favorite lead-breaks on it. Looking back, Leslie is the last guitarist I ever copied seeing that from when I was 17 on, I went completely my own way. So, here we are after all these years on stage together, celebrating the phenomenon – Rock Guitar.”

Author: James McQuiston

Ph.D. in Political Science, Kent State University.
I have been the editor at NeuFutur / neufutur.com since I was 15. Looking for new staff members all the time; email me if you are interested. Thanks!
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